


Morning After

by kaligos



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Mistakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-07-19 18:51:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7373422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaligos/pseuds/kaligos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It must have taken a lot to convince Judy to go off duty for a night, a night that neither of them can fully remember or appreciate. When morning breaks Judy finds herself in the warm embrace of her partner and best friend, too bad she wasn't ready for that kind of commitment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Buyers Regret

Judy struggled to stay asleep for a moment. The sun was filtering into her room and she could already hear people stirring in the room next to her, her nose twitching as she tried her best to just stay asleep. She reached out and pulled her covers over her tighter, covers that were oddly much warmer than she was used to. She cuddled against them but still felt like she wasn’t being covered, and as she pulled at the covers she felt something unfamiliar and heavy fall across her body.

Then it started to breath, and Judy’s ears perked up. Her eyes cracked open and instantly she felt like her head was being beaten around like a drum. Looking around her apartment, she rather quickly realized that the warm, fuzzy, breathing blanket was a rather familiar shade of orange.  
Her eyes shot open and she realized three things.

1) If she thought her head hurt before she had opened her eyes, it really hurt now. Her entire body was sore actually. Her headache was the most offending pain, but her legs hurt too. She wasn’t entirely sure why, but it felt like she had ran several miles.

2) She was naked, which was a little disturbing as she usually slept in pajamas, and as she looked around she could see her uniform laid out around the room.

3) Finally, and most importantly, Nicholas Wilde was laying next to her. His bright orange fur radiated in the sunlight and his slow, methodical breathing should have calmed her, but at this moment in time she was seeing her partner, and from what she could see he wasn’t wearing anything either.

 

Panic started to set in, Judy’s nose continued to twitch and her eyes went wide with fear. What had they done? Why couldn’t she remember the night before? Panic continued to settle in as Nick started to stir.  
His emerald eyes blinked open and the world started to speed up. Judy was still naked, still scared, and in that moment did the only thing she could think of. She kicked, and she kicked hard. Nick was sent flying out of the bed they had been sharing, the air in his lungs forced out as he was knocked to the ground.

Scrambling, Judy threw the covers around herself and curled up. “Stay back!”

“Carrots?” Nick coughed as he tried to get up, only to be hit by his phone as Judy tossed it at him. The fox’s eyes widened for a moment as he looked at Judy, not understanding what was happening. Judy’s eyes were wide with uncertain fear for a moment as she looked at Nick.

“Get out.” Judy said finally, pointing at the door.

“Carrot’s, I’m not exactly dressed.” He said getting to his paws before a pillow hit him and sent him back down to his ass.

Judy felt something burning at her eyes for a moment. “I said get out!”

“Fluff?”

“Leave.”

Nick got back up and turned to leave, tucking his tail around him as went and taking his phone with him, as it was really the only thing he could cling too.

Judy was a wreck as the door closed behind him. Her breathing was starting to even out, but her headache was back in full force; she felt completely unsure of what was going on. She couldn’t remember a thing, and tried to focus on anything other than the fox and the look of horror that he had as she had sent him away.

“Hey rabbit you okay?” Bucky’s voice rang out between the two walls after they had all listened to Nick pad his way down the hall.

“I… don’t know.” Judy muttered. As she looked down at her bed she felt like her world was turning upside down at the moment.

“Well that’s good, it sounded like the fox was practically eating you alive last night.”

“Oh shut up, she just sent him away could you be any less considerate?”

“No, you shut up, I just want to check up on our neighbor and make sure that...” Judy collapsed against her bed, exhausted for a long moment as she listened to her neighbors falling into another predictable fight. She looked up at the ceiling, feeling hot tears at the edge of her eyes. Curling up she didn’t even know what to think anymore.

Nick clutched his phone, fear striking him hard. Not because he was naked in a public hallway, no that was oddly something he was used to, having been a member of the oasis springs naturalist club. No, his fear came from the fact that Judy had been the one to kick him out.

He gripped his phone for a moment and pulled himself upright as he left. For now he would just pretend like this wasn’t the worst day he had had in almost three years, and just call a friend. He dialed a number he hadn’t used in a very long time, and kept his voice low as he walked into the Lobby of Judy’s apartment complex.

“Finnick buddy ol’ pal you are going to laugh this one up. Listen I need a lift to my apartment as quickly as possible.”

He sighed as he turned off his phone and looked out the door for a moment. Today was going to be the absolute worst. He just hoped that he would have a chance to talk about everything with Judy at work today. He swallowed lightly, his mouth feeling dry for a moment. Now if only he could figure out what actually happened last night and deal with this hangover.


	2. Wilde's Worst Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before things can get better they can only get worse.

Nick had been right about several things this morning. The first was that Finnick never really stopped laughing. From the moment that he drove the van up to Judy’s place and Nick had to perform a quick dash of shame into the passenger side door. One look at Nick had told the smaller fox everything he needed to know and then the laughter started.

“So she kicked you, and then kicked you out? Damn that’s priceless! You got played the fool Nick” Nick sighed as he rested his head on the counter just wanting the headache and his ‘friend’ to go away. He held himself close for a moment, not wanting to let the world see how he was holding himself right now. The panic and fear on Judy’s face said everything he had needed to know.

He could do this. He had been using the mask of indifferent sarcasm for years. So what if Judy had thrown him out looking mortified? So what if the night before had been the seemingly best thing in his life? The way judy had walked up to him with such confidence...He still didn’t remember everything that happened that night, but he would have happily given an arm to remember it.

Getting to his apartment without being seen was difficult. He had to take several flights of stairs for fear that the elevator might open up on a floor he didn’t want it to. He had to duck behind a potted plant at one point to avoid his landlord, and through all of it, his thoughts kept going back to the rabbit who had thrown him out.

Getting to his apartment he sighed as he looked himself over; he was already late for work, no point in trying to be there any earlier. He pulled himself together and took a shower to wash off the dirt he had collected in his fur from walking around his apartment building naked. And when he looked through his wardrobe he noticed something missing…

She had his uniform.

Taking a bus to the precinct, Nick was wearing his usual tan khakis and a green floral shirt tie combo. It felt so odd coming into work without even so much as his badge, but it didn’t matter. Carrots would be at work, and she would give him back his clothing and apologize to him, then he would just sneak into the changing room and no one would be the wiser.

“Wilde! My office now!”

Or, the moment he walked in he could have a talk with chief buffalo butt.

“Where is your uniform?”

Nick opened his mouth to reply only to shut it again. If he told the truth then he would get Judy in trouble. “Dry-cleaning sir.”

There was a low growl from the buffalo, a noise he wasn’t entirely sure was native to the chief’s species, but he pulled it off rather menacingly. “You missed assignments this morning, This is your first and only warning Wilde, be tardy again and I will put you in your place.”

“Thank you sir.”

“Do not thank me Wilde you are pushing on the nerves I have left. Now then, to the morning’s assignment you missed.”

“Um about that… shouldn’t my partner be here as well for this?” Judy couldn’t have been early with how she had acted so why was he the only one being disciplined right now?

A moment of silence crossed between Bogo and Wilde for a moment as they read each others faces. “I thought she would have told you. She called me this morning, asked to take out a few sick days, said she had to go back to bunny burrow for a family emergency.”

Nick swallowed for a moment, so that was a no on getting his uniform back. “No… she didn’t mention it to me.”

“Hopps will be back in a week, whatever it is I am sure she can handle it.”

Nick looked at the ground for a moment, the sinking feeling in his gut just getting worse. “Could I… do the same?”

Another glare and silence followed. “Unless you are wounded or ill you will not be using any of your sick days to take time off. You will in fact go out there and do your job, your partner will be back in a week.”

Nick tried to think for a moment before an idea crossed his mind. “I can’t, no uniform.” Nick said sheepishly. “I can’t pick it up from the dry cleaners yet.”

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that Wilde I have a perfectly good uniform ready and waiting for you.”

~~

Wilde sighed as he punched numbers into a small card and printed off a ticket. “Ticket seventy six.” 

He sighed again as he walked through Sahara Square. It was well past noon, and already he had dealt with several loud complaints. As he placed another ticket he could already hear the latest. “What are you trying to pull here fox!”

He turned, regarding the porcupine who had called him out. “Sir, if you have a problem with the citation you can air your grievances with traffic court.” So this is what it felt like to be Hopps. Next time he saw her they had a lot to talk about.

“How do I even know this is a real ticket? For all I know this could be some con.”

“Sir, not even on my worst days. You are currently parked illegally, your meter ran out ten minutes ago.” He tried to defuse this situation with some wry humor and a winning smile.

“Like I would trust anything you say you're nothing but a liar and a cheat.” Normally this would be where Judy would step up to his defense but seeing as he was alone there was nothing he could really say to that.

“Sir, if you continue with this line of conversation I will have to ask you to come with me downtown.”

“I’m not going anywhere with a fox.” There was a moment of hesitation and Nick pulled out his handcuffs turning away for a moment before he heard an aerosol can being pressed, a moment later Nick’s entire world was blinding pain.  
Nick almost collapsed, choking the fox repellent as the can was chucked at him and the porcupine took off. Nick’s eyes watered and burned, his sense of smell overpowered by a burning sensation that made him want to claw at his own face. His paws went to his eyes, trying to rub it out which of course only made everything worse.

Nick rolled on the ground for a moment clutching his radio, trying to call for help, but only managed odd garbled incoherent words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thanks to SpiceFox for acting as my pre reader and editor.


	3. Judy decides.

Judy had never been one to run from her problems. She had survived the academy because she was willing to confront the massive and difficult head on. She could take down any Rhino or Elephant in a head on fight. She was strong, and determined to take what ever she wanted.

So why then was she feeling like a coward? Why was she on a train station platform bound for the burrows.

Judy's foot tapped at the ground annoyed at herself. She kept telling herself to just turn around, go to work.

Talk to Nick.

That feeling of dread strengthened every time she thought about the morning. The look of dread on his face, those emerald eyes pleading with her not to do this. She made a mistake, and honestly she wasn't sure what it was.

Her memories had come back, once she had taken some Motrin, and drank like a gallon of water the head ache had subsided and she remembered everything, and it was the best.

She had been the one to invite him back to her home. By the time they had gotten through the door she had been willing to throw herself at him full force, and the rest had been... Judy's breath hitched at the memory her legs shook for a moment.

Her neighbors hadn't been wrong it was little wonder why she had so many problems walking in the early morning. She let out a long sigh.

“It never should have gotten that far.” Her ears drooped as she felt her heart pound, no it wasn't the mistake that the two of them had gotten together. Though there were a lot of reasons why it wasn't a good idea.

She knew, she had been counting them all day. There were the obvious differences of course. Fox, Bunny, Emotionally stunted and emotionally vibrant... or at least that was the word she kept choosing to use.

But then there were the professional reasons. They were partners which meant it was a conflict of interest. If Mammal Resources or internal affairs ever sniffed out their relationship the best they could hope for was to be reassigned to separate precincts, the worst case scenario was that one or both of them would loose their jobs.

And did she just refer to this as a relationship? She let out a frustrated growl. “What relationship Judy it was one night!”

She grabbed her ears and pulled on them in frustration as an elderly porcupine moved away from the bench that Judy was sitting on.

That of course was why Judy wasn't at work, and was in fact sitting at the station waiting to go back to the burrow, because in one night she had destroyed any and all hope of keeping her best friend. Even if she could explain away the panic as an over emotional bunny reacting to all of the fear and dread that came with waking up next to him she couldn't fix what she had broken.

They would never be what they were. Now they would always be this feeling lingering over them, and she wasn't even sure why, and instead of talking to him about it she was getting on a train to go to her parents.

The train gave out a whistle, and she stood up looking at the multiple doors, it was the mid afternoon. She bit her lip for a moment as she stood up. It was her last chance to stop herself, turn around find Nick and have a conversation over a cup of coffee.

“Just tell him that you jumped the gun. You aren't comfortable.” But was that even true? Nick had been the gentle mammal all that night telling her to slow down on the drinks, double and triple checking that everything was okay. She had demanded everything that had happened to her. She had wanted him, and he had delivered.

But when the alcohol passed did she still want him? Did she want to be more than friends now? Did he even want that?

She was starting to figure out what she was afraid of. After she had rejected Nick so adamantly and harshly could she stand to be rejected by him? Could they even be a couple? As the train whistle blew it snapped her back into reality, and the reality was the train was leaving.

She hadn't gotten on it, and instead got to watch as the doors closed as the train made her choice for her.

She turned to run as fast as her feet could carry her away from the station. The money she had spent on the ticket hardly mattered she had a fox to find in this city. 

~~~

The energy had lasted maybe 20 minutes in total. She had no idea where Nick was, and pulling out her cellphone to dial his number the call had gone strait to voice mail. She didn't blame him. If he had done what she had she wouldn't want to talk to him either.

She couldn't call work because she had taken the week off to go be with her family on emergency. Calling work to ask for Nick was one sure fire way to get into trouble, and just wondering around the city wasn't going to get her any answers either. She had to duck behind a dumpster at one point as a cruiser had passed the street by. She felt like a crook trying to break out of jail. If any of her co-workers spotted her she was going to be having a conversation with internal affairs...

and she didn't think she could live through that.

Wondering blindly around Sahara Square looking for officer Nick Wilde was doing her little good, till she spotted the joke mobile. Exactly two mammals from precinct 1 could fit in the thing, and knowing that Nick was the other one meant she was on the right track.

As she approached the car Nick came into view laying his head down at the coffee shop it was parked outside of. He looked like death, his fur was matted from laying on the ground even from the distance that she was, he could hear how pained his breathing was. His fur was wet, and as lay against the table trying not to die he looked like his day couldn't possibly get any worse.

She supposed that she was about to see if that really was the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I no longer have a pre reader, so I had to try and edit this myself.
> 
> This chapter and the following are dedicated too combat engineer as like I said in the comments I basically was going to pass over this fiction until he asked me to finish it.
> 
> One of the main problems I have with this chapter is basically nothing happens, it's literally just Judy's torturous inner monologue and sorting out her ideas and fears so that in the next chapter they can have words like adults.


	4. Chapter 4

Nick's eyes were read and puffy, he was still having problems breathing or smelling anything. When the coffee was sat down in front of him he raised his head and saw someone that he wasn't expecting at all today. Someone that he had plenty of words to say too, and he almost took them out. However due to the pain that breathing inflicted on his already sore ribs he just regarded what he was still considering as a hallucination for a moment.

Judy placed the coffee down on the table and pushed it towards the fox, she offered a blueberry muffin as well, but either way she took her seat across from him. He looked like a disaster, and some part of her blamed herself. Had he been emotionally destroying himself since this morning? That was the main question that was on her mind in that moment. She honestly had no idea if that was the case or not, but she felt responsible for it none the less.

The silence between them seemed to continue, Nick didn't move, he just continued to lay his head against the cool glass of the table needing something to press his muzzle against, and Judy shifting in her chair from complete uncertainty of how this encounter would play out.

Nick regarded the Rabbit across from him. He recognized Judy in her pink button up shirt and jeans. He thought that by now the hallucination would have faded like any other angry spirit. Considering that it hadn't he had to go on the next probably more painful assumption that the Judy in front of him was real, and with the day he has been having that was not something he wanted. He didn't like the idea that Judy was real in this situation. He didn't want her to see him looking as pathetic as he was. The last thing he wanted from this Rabbit was pity after what she did.

“Nick.”

He raised a hand cutting her off before she could say anymore. His ears turning down harshly at the sound of her voice. It wasn't that he didn't like the sound it was that she was a little too loud, and his head was still killing him.

“Shh.” He cautioned her and watched as her ears fell down. Nick picked himself up slowly, taking the cup of coffee in paw and slowly sipping the drink. The warm bitter sensation of coffee rolled over his tongue and he tasted it, running his tongue over the roof of his mouth as if he was testing that she could get his order correct. The caffeine helped him to wake up from the pain, the drink helped to ease his sore throat, and work his way up to finally being able to speak.

His ears perked slightly, and he dragged himself up, the blueberry muffin was next on his agenda. Taking a small nibble of the thing it was still painful to move his muzzle, but he needed the food, and it was soft and moist. The flavor helped to return some of his strength.

“Can we talk?”

“No.”

Once again Judy seemed to deflate the silence between them was painful for her to bear and she wanted to confront the pain head on. Nick was tired of pain, and right now talking was pain. “You can talk.”

Judy's eyes widened for the first time she could hear just how stressed and burnt Nick's voice was, it was like he had be screaming, which in his defensive he probably had at some point. Though it wasn't because of her. Judy understood that Nick wasn't in the condition to talk and aimed to keep her voice low this time as she started to speak.

“I... Panicked.” That was the obvious thing to both of them. The question the questions were what now, and why? She decided to focus on the later question. If she like what she would say about that then she could move onto the future. Sorting the past was more important. “Waking up next to you it, wasn't terrible.”

If her goal was to win Nick over it wasn't working. She could tell that from the look he was giving her behind the sunglasses. It was a dry look that simply said 'no shit.'

“I was scared. I wasn't sure what was going to happen if I let it happen. I mean our jobs, our lives we are very different people. I froze up with all the what if's and it all happened so quickly. It was like we skipped a dozen steps Nick I.” She sniffled and had to contain her breathing, Nick raised his hand to again remind her to keep her voice lower and she realized she was practically breaking down.

Nick reached over and offered tissue from a plastic wrap. He didn't say a word just waiting for Judy to dry her eyes and continue with her side of the story. “I shouldn't have thrown you out. I regretted it the moment I did, but I was so scared. Scared that I ruined everything in one night.”

“So what?”

Nick hadn't meant for it to come out as harsh as it did. His voice was already harsh and speaking as he did he was wracked with a few coughs. He picked up the coffee cup and took a hard drink trying to regain some composure over his throat as he watched Judy deflate.

“What do you want?”

Judy looked at Nick with a soft shrug unsure exactly what he meant by that. It took her a few minutes to figure out an answer to that. Finally she deflated and just hit the table.“I don't know.”

“Tough.” Nick said finally picking himself up. His voice was still stretching so he didn't want to talk long but now it was clearly his turn to talk. “You're on my last nerve Judy.”

Judy's eyes teared up as she prepared herself for the rejection that was going to follow all of this.

“I gave you everything, you are the Mammal I keep going back too. The one animal I keep trying to trust. Your also the one who keeps throwing that trust into my face. You know how humiliating it is to have to sit naked in Finnick's van? Run my ass to my apartment?” He couldn't blame her for the fox away spray in his face, though her absence certainly hadn't helped the matter it wasn't directly her fault. Throwing him naked into the street though that was her fault, and he wanted her to know that he was unimpressed.

“I'm tired of being hurt Judy. Tired of being used for others amusement. This isn't the first time I've been thrown out of someones apartment after a quick fling, but with you-”

“I didn't want that!” Judy's paw hit the table and she saw Nick shrink back, not from the anger but from the volume of her actions.

Nick's heckles lowered for a moment that was more like the Judy he knew. “Then I ask again what do you want? Cause do you know what I want?”

Judy swallowed for a moment as she braced for the answer.

Nick picked up the blueberry muffin and took another bite. This time he made sure to accent his motions showing the viscous predator teeth, the sharp fangs that bit into the muffin almost like he was ripping into Judy. He savored the flavor as he ran his tongue across his lips. “I want someone who can at least tell me why she is scared. Someone I can share with. Because if my partner is so selfish to not realize that I have fears as well then what's the point?”

Judy blinked for a moment and then felt dread and realization hit her with a cold brick. Of course she wasn't the only one who was scared of what they did. It takes two to tango, and he had given her every out possible. Told her that he would only continue if she was certain, and she had been.

“Maybe your not that mammal Judy. Maybe I gave you too much credit, and maybe it was too soon for us to jump into the bed together. I don't want to regret waking up next too you, but so far all I'm hearing is that your confused by it.”

Judy looked at the ground taking a deep breath. She knew she had screwed up she was deserving of everything he was throwing at her. But at the same time there was some part of her that didn't think it was fair. “Do I really have to decide everything today?”

“No.” Nick said which caused some of the tension to ease. “Judy, I'm eight years older than you. Plus I have lived most of my life on my own. I'm not expecting you to know all the universes answers or know what you want ten years down the line. I want to know what you want to do about this today and tomorrow.”

Judy blinked for a moment. She looked at Nick, he was her first friend in this city, her best friend. As time had progressed the two had become so much closer and Judy let out a sigh as the immediate future seemed easier to figure out.

“I'd like time.” She said rubbing her head and holding her ears for a moment. “I like you Nick, and I don't want to regret waking up next too you either. It was just too much at once.”

Nick smiled and leaned back into his chair. She was starting to get back that fire, and honestly that was when he loved her the most. He let out a long sigh as he took a drink of his coffee. “Time I can do. We both jumped in too quickly so lets take it back. Not all the way... but how about... an actual date first?”

Judy looked up at Nick. He reached out across the table and she placed her paw in his. “A date sounds fun.”

“But not today... I should actually get to the hospital.” Nick said getting to his feet and wobbling for a moment having to fall back on using the chair for support.

“Here let me help you.” Judy said moving closer to him and wrapping one arm around Nick's waist to help steady him on his feet. "What happened to you anyway?"

“Fuck Fox Away.” Nick said grumbling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the story folks. A new afternoon is dawning for our intrepid heroes in which they get to explore a new relationship.

**Author's Note:**

> It has been a long time since I wrote a fanfiction. Major thanks to my friend SpiceFox who helped out as an editor on the fiction.


End file.
